Swimming with Grandma

We went swimming at Givens Hot Springs yesterday with Grandma Spaulding. Both girls jumped off the side of the pool a ton of times. Sage got a little too comfortable doing it and ran around McKinley to jump in by herself (where I wasn't waiting to catch her). It didn't take long to get to her, but it was enough to scare us. Sage was more apprehensive after that; she loved being in the pool as long as she didn't go under the water. For the rest of the time Sage felt the need to hold onto me -- even in the pool that she could walk around in. McKinley had no fear and couldn't get enough time in the water! We had a lot of fun and feel blessed to be so close to loving grandparents!

Teton: our mountainous puppy

My friend, Nikki, just shared a story on her blog about their 120 pound St. Bernard pup. While our puppy is just a light-weight (88 pounds) compared to hers, I could relate to the feelings of weakness when trying to control such a strong animal. I realized then that I haven't even mentioned him in our blog, so I figured it's probably time. Although I weigh more than Teton (our Retriever/Lab puppy), my muscles can't compete -- shocker, I know. I can no longer take him for walks with the girls as he is the one who ends up walking us.

Last night when Roy got home from work, he brought Teton into the house and practiced some tricks with him. (Roy is 6'2" so you have a reference for Teton's size). He's a good puppy, despite his hyperactivity, but he'll be a very good dog someday.

We have another good little puppy around. Sage pretends to be a cat or dog frequently and is very good at retrieving. :)

Tea and Birthday Parties

A few mornings ago, McKinley and Sage hosted a tea party with Roy and I as their guests. They were so careful pouring the "tea" (it was really water) and handling the fragile little cups and saucers. They were perfect little hostesses and we had a most delightful time. :)

I've had requests from my sisters to show them the cakes I made for Sage's birthday. My mom started a tradition when we were young that my siblings and I have tried to continue. She would ask us what we wanted for our cake and made the most amazing creations according to what we asked. She made Cabbage Patch Doll cakes that looked just like our own dolls, standing doll cakes, a basketball that was a perfect sphere, cars, and more without ever using cake molds. I wouldn't even attempt some of what she did. I just showed Sage some pictures of cut-up cakes that I found on line and had her choose what she wanted. She chose the duck, so I also made a duck pond to go along with it. They're not spectacular, but I enjoyed making them.

Last night, we celebrated Sage's birthday at Roy's parents' house. It was very nice of them to let us use their home since ours is a bit too small for all the people we had over. We ate spaghetti, had cake and ice cream, and opened presents. Sage's reaction was priceless when she blew out the candles and we all cheered. She was so proud of herself and really seemed to love the attention. I wish I'd gotten a picture of her face at that moment, but I wasn't fast enough. She also loved opening the presents and wanted to play with each thing as soon as she got into the package. I think one new thing would've made her happy.

Music and Movement

I take the girls to Music and Movement at the Kuna Library each Thursday. This past week, we took one of McKinley's friends, Hannah with us, and met their friends big Sage and Jada there (pictured). We sing songs, use props, and move around the room. The kids love it! Story time is right after that and then they do a craft. This past week, they read books about our country and then made these cute eagles out of paper bags. Sage, McKinley, and Hannah ran around with their eagles, moving them up and down as if they were flying and said, "caw, caw." The eagles

sounded more like crows to me, but they sure had fun with them. By the time we get home, it's time for lunch and Sage's nap. Sage was so tired, and had put these sunglasses on all by herself on the ride home. For some reason, she always puts them on upside down. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

I had to laugh

Last night, as I was getting the kids ready for bed, I noticed Sage standing on the toilet holding a mirror with a handle. You may just think she would be looking at herself, but she was actually practicing her mad face. It made me laugh. Roy had recently commented on her faces and had said he wished we could get pictures of all of them. I guess it made her curious. :)
On a totally separate note, I have kind of lost my brain since I've been pregnant. It happens every time. My mind just looses the capacity to think or something. Well, one of the kids' cups got stuck in the sink yesterday. It was just the perfect size to block the opening and I couldn't get it out to save my life. When Roy came home, he separated the disposal part under the sink and pulled out the cup, full of water. He then dumped the water into the sink, which was now open underneath, so the water came right through. Apparently, I'm not the only one suffering from "pregnant brain". I laughed so hard -- I couldn't stop. Those of you who really know me, know that when I get laughing, I keep thinking about how funny it was and continue laughing about it well after the moment has passed. This was one such time.

What a difference a day makes

It's so funny to me how monumental birthdays are when kids are young. I forgot to mention this in my last post, so since this is kind of my journal, I thought I'd better add this little story before I forget. The night before Sage's birthday, I asked the girls whose birthday would be tomorrow. Sage said, "me" enthusiastically and McKinley spoke excitedly about how Sage would be 2 and would be able to say more words. I tried to explain that things like that don't change over night and it would still take time for Sage to talk really well. The next morning, Sage woke up to the sound of the garbage truck and ran out of her room, pointing toward the front of the house yelling "truck"! The girls love seeing the garbage truck. Anyway, McKinley started asking her to say all kinds of words. She would say, "Can you say baby doll?" or any number of other words, and would praise Sage when she repeated what she had said. It was so cute! Sage was so proud of herself too.

Happy 2nd BIrthday Sage!

Yesterday, Sage turned two. I can't believe how fast those years have gone! Since Roy works long hours and has to commute to Boise, we got an early start on the birthday celebration. We had german pancakes for breakfast and then Sage opened presents before Roy left at 9:00. (It was an extra long day for him).

We packed the activities into the day after that, starting with a visit to their Great Grandma Hansen. We don't get to see her as much as we should, so that was a treat. We certainly love her.

From there, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's and then to Roy's work to meet him for lunch between his meetings. We went to a nearby park and had delicious peanut butter sandwiches. :) Gourmet -- I know. We played in the leaves for a while and really wore the kids out. It was really fun and I was glad we got to spend that time with Roy since he doesn't get home at night until around 10:00.

We stopped by Gramma Lydia and Grampa Warren's and had a little sherbet. When asked how old she is, Sage replies by saying 2, while holding up one finger on each hand -- it's so cute. Grandma and Grandpa Spaulding weren't home, so we didn't get to stop by there, but Grandma came by in the evening to wish Sage a happy birthday. We are so lucky to live close to grandparents and are grateful for all they do!

We'll have a family party for Sage on Sunday, but we got to do some fun things on her actual birthday. I'm sure she won't remember this birthday very long, but I will. It was a good day!